One
of the most interesting facets of studying gravestone art is the symbolism
of the icons carved on the stones. Many of these provide insight into the
nature of the culture in which the deceased lived. Others make a statement
about the life or death of the deceased.

Some
designs are easily interpreted. For instance, a winged hourglass tells the
observer that time flies, a tree stump or broken limb indicates that life
has been cut short and an angel trumpeting is a call to the resurrection.
Other symbols are more difficult to interpret and even experts do not always
agree. Many symbols even have multiple meanings. Here are a few of the more
common symbols and their generally accepted meanings.

Anchor—hope
(“Hope is the anchor of the soul.”)

Angel—messenger
between God and man; guide

Angel
(flying)—rebirth

Angel
(trumpeting)—a call to the resurrection

Angel
(weeping)—grief

Arrows
or darts—mortality, the dart of death

Birds—the
soul

Clock—passage
of time (these are rare, but there’s a fine example in Peterborough, NH)

Coffins—mortality

Column
(broken)—sorrow, life cut short

Cross—salvation

Dove—Holy
Ghost

Effigies—the
soul

Father
Time—mortality

Flame
(burning)—life

Flower—the
frailty of life

Flower
(broken) —death

Garland—victory
in death

Gourds—the
coming to be and the passing away of earthy matters; the mortal body

Hand
(pointing upward)—ascension to heaven

Hand
(pointing downward)—calling the earth to witness

Handshake-farewell
to earthly existence

Heart—the
abode of the soul; love of Christ; the soul in bliss

Ivy—memory
and fidelity

Lamb—Christ;
the Redeemer; meekness; sacrifice; innocence.

Lamp—truth;
knowledge

Laurel—victory

Lily—resurrection;
purity

Palls/drapery--mortality

Palm—victory
over death

Picks
and Shovels—mortality

Pomegranate—immortality

Poppy—a
symbol of sleep, and therefore death (Victorian)

Portals—passageways
to the eternal journey

Rose—sorrow

Scallop
shell—the resurrection; a pilgrim’s journey; the baptism of Christ

Scythe—time
or time cut short

Skeletons—mortality

Skull
(winged)—the flight of the soul from the mortal body

Skulls
and crossbones—death

Sun
(rising)—renewed life

Sun
(setting)—eternal death

Sword—martyrdom;
courage;

Torch
(inverted)—life has been extinguished

Torch
(burning)—immortality; truth; wisdom

Urn—mortality
(a receptacle for the bodily remains)

Wheat—time;
the divine harvest (often used to denote old age)

Willow—grief

Want
more information on symbols??? The following publications are a good place
to start:

The
Masks of Orthodoxy: Folk Gravestone Carving in Plymouth County Massachusetts,
1689-1805 by Peter Benes.

Early
American Gravestone Art in Photographs by Francis Duval and Ivan Rigby.

Graven
Images: New England Stonecarving and Its Symbols by Allan Ludwig.

A comprehensive
pamphlet entitled “Symbolism in the Carvings on Old Gravestones” is also available from
The Association for Gravestone Studies at www.gravestonestudies.org.